Phone Scammers Threaten Acadiana Elderly With Arrest

Another day, another phone scam, such is life in Acadiana in 2018. The Better Business Bureau is now reporting a phone scam that appears to target older citizens is being perpetrated in the area.

This is the message that several citizens have reported receiving on their voice mail in recent days.

This is a notification regarding your tax filings from the headquarters which will get expired in the next 24 working hours and once again if it expires, you will be taken under custody by the local cops.

Most of us who have grown savvy and quite tired of the tactics of bad people like this can see right through this message. "The local cops" will take you into custody. Don't you think a real law enforcement agency would identify itself? Wait a minute, when have the police ever "called ahead" to make sure it was a convenient time to come arrest you?

One thing that does complicate the issue for many residents is that the phone call appears to be coming from a local number. More often than not the scammers are "neighbor spoofing". They know that you and I are more likely to answer an unfamiliar number if it appears to be coming from the local area. Don't be fooled.

What should you do if you receive a call or a message such as the one noted above?

Despite the local look of the number on your caller ID if you don't recognize the number let it go to voicemail. If you do answer the phone and don't recognize the individual then just hang up. Whatever you do, don't give out personal information, baking information, credit card information, or any other facts about yourself that could compromise your security.

If the scammers leave a call back number, don't call it back. Even if you want to unload on the bad guys and give them a piece of your mind, don't do it. You will just be confirming your number as an active number for the next phone scam.

Remember, local police don't call ahead when they want to arrest you and they don't take gift cards over the phone as payment. I suggest you report any odd calls or attempts to scam you out of your hard earned money to local law enforcement and the Better Business Bureau.